As is generally well known, presently available pellets for a pneumatic or spring-piston operated weapon includes a tapered skirt portion with an air pocket and a head portion which is tapered for attachment to a smaller diameter end of such tapered skirt portion, forming what is commonly known as a diabolo pellet. The forward end of the head portion can be flat, rounded, hollow or pointed and is usually sized to fit the barrel bore.
The pellets are manufactured in different weights and sizes and are generally classified by their caliber. The most commonly used calibers include 0.177, 0.20, 0.22, 0.25 and their metric equivalents. The 0.177 caliber pellets are used for general shooting as well as for bulls eye target shooting. They offer the highest velocity for a given amount of air gun energy, and result in the flattest trajectory. The 0.22 caliber pellets are popular for hunting and pest control.
One disadvantage of the presently available prior art pellets is that the tapered skirt has a generally thin wall due to inclusion of the air pocket and bends easily under general field use, at times, prior to loading into the weapon. Another disadvantage of the presently available prior art pellet is that the tapered tail portion, often adapted with longitudinal ridges or grooves, facilitates air leaks during travel through the barrel bore which decreases the shooting accuracy. Yet, another disadvantage is that the prior art pellets made to fit a standard Imperial size barrel bore will not fit corresponding equivalent Metric size barrel bore.